


Cooking Together

by locrianrose



Series: Fire Emblem Fluff Bingo [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cooking, Fire Emblem Fluff Bingo, Fluff, M/M, Matchmaker Mercedes, Matchmaking, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:35:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27682312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/locrianrose/pseuds/locrianrose
Summary: Mercedes is cooking, and Hubert seems just a little too concerned about what her intentions with Ferdinand are. Luckily, Mercedes knows what's up.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra
Series: Fire Emblem Fluff Bingo [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2024311
Comments: 5
Kudos: 66





	Cooking Together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MiaTheHealBot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiaTheHealBot/gifts).



It was exhausting, the day in day out risks they were all taking, but Mercedes had long since learned to take the small pleasures where she found them. Today that was helping in the kitchen, a duty she’d been more than willing to assist with.

When she’d joined the Black Eagles years ago, she’d never expected the consequences that would follow. It had been a hard decision then, but she’d seen the way Byleth taught her students and the skills that Byleth had, Mercedes had been forced to make the hard decision that Byleth could help her to be what she would need to be.

Byleth had also been kind, taking time to teach Mercedes personally and answer any questions that she had, and that, ultimately, had made her decision.

She and Annette had sworn they would stay friends no matter what, and a month later, after speaking with her uncle and mother, Annette had joined her as well. It had been hard then for both of them, leaving, and that had only become more difficult after the war had started.

After the war, there had been small and large miracles that had brought her comfort. Emile was here, and even if he was distant and difficult to connect with, he was here. Being able to speak with him and Constance again reminded her of her childhood. Ferdinand was always eager to talk with her, and Mercedes had begun to appreciate those conversations as well with time. Dorothea was a dear, Edelgard was someone Mercedes truly respected for what she wanted for the world.

Taking the time now to cook brought her a quiet calm that helped to sustain her when questions did come. It was hard, at times, to find a balance when the cause she fought for wanted to end the church that she valued such, but taking the time to still help others gave her faith that she would find her way and be able to help as she’d wanted to. Her family was here— Emile and Annette were enough for her.

Mercedes carefully kneaded the dough that she’d mixed, humming lightly as she did. She’d take whatever pastries were left over after and make some stops visiting the rest of the strike force to make sure they were eating. Edelgard, Hubert, and sometimes Linhardt were undoubtedly the three members of their group that she’d most expect to miss meals, so she would run some by to them.

After the dough was kneaded, Mercedes would roll it out and leave it to rise. While the dough rose, she’d cook the meat, then let it and the vegetables cool.

As she continued kneading, Mercedes became aware of a dark figure lurking, watching her as she did.

“Hubert!” Mercedes said, delicately waving a flour covered hand at him. “You’re welcome to help if you’d like.”

Hubert tended to be busy from dusk till dawn, so if he was lurking here for this long, he undoubtedly had a reason for doing so, and Mercedes wouldn’t be surprised if he had something he needed.

“Mercedes.” Hubert stated, then paused. “I could. You are making…?”

“Meat pastries.” Mercedes replied. “I think Byleth mentioned once that you’ve helped before when she’s been working with meat. If you’re willing, you could cook and cut it.”

Hubert stiffly nodded. “I can do that.” He turned, rolling up his sleeves as he did before joining in.”

The dough was nearly done. Mercedes shaped it into rolls, then carefully draped a cloth over it and turned to Hubert.

“Did you need something?”

“What are your intentions with Von Aegir?”

Mercedes tilted her head as she looked over to Hubert as she wiped her hands.

“My intentions? I’m not sure I know what you mean!”

“Ferdinand haunts you when you go to that damned cathedral.” Hubert started chopping the meat, attacking it with a vengeance and dedication that seemed to Mercedes to be typical of most of his actions. “He insists on dallying with you when he could be training, so I intend to discover what your intent is.”

“Hubert, I think Ferdinand is very lucky to have a friend like you who cares about his well being.” Mercedes said, gathering spices before deftly shaking them onto the meat that Hubert was dissecting. “But I think you may have misunderstood my relationship with him. Ferdinand is a friend, and I think a real one, but I have no interest in him.”

Hubert didn’t reply for a moment, then continued, pushing the sliced meat into the pan. “Ferdinand may think otherwise.”

“I don’t think so.” Mercedes said delicately, slicing tomatoes. “Ferdinand is a dear, and I think if you’re worried about him, you should talk to him.”

Hubert humphed. “Ferdinand’s crippling lack of self awareness would prevent any conversation with him from succeeding.”

“So that’s why you’ve been having someone tail him!”

Hubert froze, and Mercedes distinctly heard him curse under his breath before he continued.

“Is he… aware of that?”

“I’m not sure.” Mercedes said. “But I’ve noticed one of your friends following him. I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure either till I said it to you!”

“That’s not—”

“Stir the meat now.” Mercedes gently reminded Hubert. “I do think if you’re worried about Ferdinand, you might want to talk with him. I think he’d appreciate it.”

“Any conversation with von Aegir is destined to end in ruin.”

“I don’t think that’s quite true.” Mercedes tipped the tomatoes into the sizzling pan. “Now mix that in. Why don’t you like talking with Ferdinand?”

“His incessant cheerfulness, obsession with his position as a part of the nobility, and constant concern with the superficial to start.”

“I’ll admit that he is very concerned with being a noble, but I wouldn’t call Ferdinand superficial, and it’s nice to have a friend who’s so cheerful! Especially when times are dark.” Mercedes moved back to check on the dough. “I know Ferdinand’s positivity can be a little jarring, but he means well by it.”

“I can’t comprehend how he manages to maintain such an attitude even now.” Hubert replied.

“Maybe because it’s something that we need.” Mercedes said. “I know when I was busy helping Annette and worrying about Emile, Ferdinand took time to make sure I was doing well and Annette told me he’d been helping her with axes!”

“His rivalry with Edelgard—”

“Is something I think he’s learned to put behind him.” Mercedes interjected firmly. “And I think you should talk to him.”

Hubert paused for a moment. “I doubt my conversation would be… welcome.”

“Start with something you like about him.”

“And inflate his ego further?” Hubert replied.

“Do you want him to enjoy talking with you?” Mercedes asked. “What’s something that you could both talk about together?”

“The Professor has been insisting that he and I clean the stables together recently.”

“So talk about that.” Mercedes suggested. “That should be done now. “ She gestured at the meat. “We’ll let it cool.”

Mercedes moved to the dough, sprinkling out flour before starting to roll it out.

“I still doubt that he would welcome any conversation.”

“You won’t know until you try.” Mercedes said delicately. “I think he’d appreciate the effort.”

“Ferdinand does not agree with my methods of doing things.”

“Why would that prevent you from talking?” Mercedes asked. “I don’t always agree with everything that’s been done in our fight, but I know that what Edelgard is trying to do is worth it. I don’t like having to hurt people, but I know that if we change things for the better now, children like Emile won’t have to suffer. I think Ferdinand might understand that what you have to do can be something we need.”

“I will ponder on this. What else do you need help with?”

“Place a scoop about this big,” Mercedes took a scoop of meat, “and place it on the bread I’ve already rolled out. I’ll close them up and press the edges, then we put them on the pan and brush them with egg.” Mercedes dropped the meat down to demonstrate.

Hubert nodded, then went to work.

Mercedes set about closing up the soon to be pastries as Hubert deposited the meat into them. The work went quickly with help, and soon Mercedes was dusting the last of the pastries with egg.

“Thank you for your help, Hubert.” Mercedes smiled at him. “I appreciate you taking the time to do so!”

“And, ah, thank you for speaking with me.”

“Think nothing of it! If you ever need to talk—about Ferdinand, or anything else— I’m here.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on a Fire Emblem Fluff Bingo meme over on tumblr @ neotula. I'm taking requests from the bingo chart I made based on characters and ships from Fates, Awakening, and Three Houses (And if you sent me a Genealogy of the Holy War one I'd sure do my best to fill it)


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